Produced by Al Haines
[Illustration: Cover art]
Round the World Library No. 86
Where Duty Called
OR
IN HONOR BOUND
By
VICTOR ST. CLAIR
Author of "On His Merit," "Zip, the Acrobat," "Cast Away in the
Jungle," etc.
STREET & SMITH CORPORATION
PUBLISHERS
79-89 Seventh Avenue, New York
Copyright, 1904
By STREET & SMITH
Where Duty Called
All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign
languages, including the Scandinavian.
Printed in the U. S. A.
Contents
Chapter
I. "A Grand Opportunity."
II. A Suspicious Craft.
III. The Young Exile.
IV. Put in Irons.
V. Escape from the _Libertador_.
VI. A Swim for Life.
VII. Taken Ashore.
VIII. Jaguar Claws.
IX. The Mystery of the Photograph.
X. "We have been Betrayed!"
XI. A Perilous Flight.
XII. A Lonely Ride.
XIII. In the Enemy's Country.
XIV. Indian Warfare.
XV. A Friendly Voice.
XVI. Colonel Marchand.
XVII. A Cunning Ruse.
XVIII. Ronie Receives a Commission.
XIX. The Scout in the Jungle.
XX. Adventures and Surprises.
XXI. "The Mountain Lion."
XXII. A Fight with the Guerillas.
XXIII. The News at La Guayra.
XXIV. Interview with General Castro.
XXV. The Spy of Caracas.
XXVI. "It is Manuel Marlin!"
XXVII. Good News.
XXVIII. Victory and Peace.
WHERE DUTY CALLED.
CHAPTER I.
"A GRAND OPPORTUNITY."
"Hurrah, boys! here is a letter from home. At least, it is from the
homeland, as it is postmarked New York. Who can be writing us from
that city?" and the youthful speaker, in his exuberance of feeling,
waved the missive over his head, while he began to dance a lively step.
"I know of no better way to find out than to open it, Harrie, or let
one of us do it for you; you seem suddenly to have lost your faculty
for doing anything rational yourself. Hand it to Jack if you do not
want to trust me with it."
"Your very words, to say nothing of your impatient gestures, Ronie,
show that you are not one whit less excited than I am over receiving
some news from the great world outside of this lost corner," replied
the first speaker, beginning to tear open the end of the bulky envelope
he held in his hand.
"There must be a lot of news, judging by the size of the package," said
the second, approaching so he could look over the shoulder of his
companion while he tore open the covering.
"Go slow, lads," said a third person, who had been sitting slightly
apart from the others, but who moved near to the twain now. "It won't
do to get unduly excited in this climate."
The three were none other than our old friends of the jungles of Luzon,
Ronie Rand, Harrie Mannering and Jack Greenland, whose exploits in
opening up one of the great forest tracts on that island were described
in "Cast Away in the Jungle," first of THE ROUND WORLD SERIES. They
had not been long in Manilla, the capital of the island, since
completing that hazardous undertaking, when an incoming steamer brought
them the letter which awakened such an interest, and which was to play
such an important part in their future actions. As its bulk indicated,
it was a lengthy epistle, and this length was more than doubled in
reading matter by the fine chirography which covered its large pages.
Standing where he could not scan the mysterious pages, Professor Jack
fell to watching the countenance of Harrie Mannering as he followed
with his eye the closely written pages. As he read, his features began
to change their expression from gayety to seriousness, and by the time
he had finished a puzzled look had settled upon his sunburned but
good-looking face, and his lips, forming themselves unconsciously into
a pucker, gave vent to a prolonged whistle. Then, as if to obtain a
more comprehensive understanding of the message, he returned to the
beginning, and was about to read it through again, when Jack said:
"Look here, boy, you are taking an unfair advantage of a fellow. You
must know that I am just as much interested in news from the homeland
as you, so read it aloud this time. If it is good news, I want to
enjoy it with you; if it is bad news, then I certainly ought to share
it with you."
"Forgive me, or rather us, Jack--for I am sure Ronie has seen every
word--but it is all so strange and unexpected that my head is not quite
clear yet as to whether I have been reading or dreaming."
"Then it is all the more necessary that I should hear it, as it is
possible my poor head may help unravel the skein. You remember the
story of the great novelist, Sir Walter Scott, who, upon recovering
from a long illness, was given a book to read for amusement. But upon
reading the book, he could get so little sense out of it that he feared
he had lost his reason. In this perplexed state of mind he handed the
work to another to read without giving his reason, while he waited
anxiously for the result. She, after reading a few chapters, threw the
book aside, declaring it was such senseless twaddle that she did not
care to follow it any further, whereupon the great author breathed
easier."
"No offense was meant, Jack, and I will try and make amends at once.
In the first place, this is an invitation for us to start upon another
undertaking somewhat similar to the one we have just completed."
"What! return to the jungles of Luzon?"
"No; it is to South America this time--to Venezuela. A party of men,
some of whom are connected with the local government, are anxious to
open up the interior of the country in quest of rubber trees. The
writer, who is one of the company, and, I judge, an influential member,
has recommended us as 'capable persons'--you needn't laugh, Ronie, for
those are his words--to survey and engineer for the party. If we
conclude to go, he wants us to meet him at Caracas as soon as possible.
In the meantime, he will get everything in readiness to start as soon
as we arrive. I am at a loss to know what to think of it. The writer,
who is Colonel Rupert Marchand, is very enthusiastic over the scheme,
and he seems anxious that we should come. I never thought the colonel
was one to get wild over anything that was not likely to prove
successful."
Jack made no reply in words, but took the letter from the hand of his
young friend, and began to hastily run over its contents, saying, by
way of apology for his action:
"You will pardon me, Harrie, but it may not be best for us to read
aloud or talk to any great extent here. There may be those about whose
motives are not friendly."
Thinking this suggestion a wise one, Harrie and Ronie willingly
followed their companion to a more retired place, where the three spent
fully five minutes looking over the lengthy missive together before one
of them spoke. Then Ronie said:
"Well, what do you think of it, Jack?"
"That it is a grand opportunity for two such adventure-loving fellows
as you are to embrace. But I would not advise less daring and
energetic youths to think of it for a moment."
"So you think there is likely to be some dangerous experiences attached
to the journey?"
"It has all of that appearance, though you may come out of it without a
scratch. Colonel Marchand, unless I have misjudged him, is just such a
man as would throw all thought of hazard to the wind if the prize was
worth striving for."
"You do not believe he would lead any one into needless danger, Jack?"
"Certainly not; he is too good a soldier for that, and you know he made
an honorable record in our recent war with Spain."
"I judge, then, you think the people we should be likely to fall among
might be a dangerous element," said Ronie.
"That is just what I meant. The inhabitants of the interior of the
country where he would have you go are treacherous and dangerous, if
they happen to take a dislike to you; and that they are more prone to
dislike than to like has been my experience."
"What about this rubber business?" said Harrie. "Colonel Marchand
speaks as if he wants us to take an interest in the company as part pay
for our work. He seems very enthusiastic over that."
"His excuse for having us take some shares is that we might possibly
have more interest in the venture," said Ronie. "That stipulation
makes me think there may be some sort of a trap to inveigle us into a
profitless adventure, though I do not think the colonel would do that."
"You are as well able to judge of that as I am. In regard to the
rubber part of the venture, to use a poor simile, that is very elastic.
Unless you have given the matter some consideration you will not, at
first thought, realize the importance of that commodity, which must
govern the possibilities of the article in the markets. I will
acknowledge that I am very favorably impressed with the idea. Rubber
is fast becoming one of the most important commercial articles in
existence. Turn whichever way you will, do whatever you wish, and you
will almost invariably find that rubber is the most necessary thing
needed.
"Not only is it used in large quantities toward helping clothe men and
creatures, but it is used in house furnishings, such as mattings for
floors, stairs and platforms, on board of ships, as well as in houses,
and in hundreds of other places. It is utilized largely in the
manufacture of druggists' materials; in the manufacture of all kinds of
instruments and machinery that require pliable bearings and supporters,
printers' rollers, wheel tires, rings on preserve jars. Erasers on
lead pencils call for tons of the article.
"Then steam mills must have rubber belts, cars rubber bearings, and gas
works call for miles of rubber hose, to say nothing of that used in
gardens and on lawns. Billiard tables alone call for nearly a third of
a million dollars' worth of rubber every year, while over a million
dollars are spent for the rubber used in baseball and football!
Typewriters call for a vast amount; so do the makers of rubber stamps,
water bottles, trimmings for harness, and fittings for pipes of one
kind and another. Altogether, the rubber factories of the United
States alone utilize sixty million pounds of rubber annually. You will
not wonder now if I say that rubber ranks as third among the imports of
the country, and that its handling is one of the most profitable
callings of the day. If this is the electrical age, as it has been
called, it is rubber that makes possible the many applications of
electricity."
"I had not thought it of such importance," remarked Harrie, frankly.
"Where does it all come from?"
"A very pertinent question," replied Jack. "Originally it came from
India, hence the name of India rubber, which still clings to it, though
the great bulk now, and that which is of the better quality, comes from
other countries. Foremost among these is South America. It is true a
large amount comes from Central America, the west part of Africa, and
the islands of the Indian Archipelago, but the best rubber comes from
the great belt of lowlands bordering upon the Amazon, the Rio Negro and
the Orinoco, the last named tract lying largely in Southern Venezuela.
This country in many respects is the Eldorado of South America."
"Then we shall not be going into a country without at least one source
of wealth."
"No; Venezuela is wonderfully well favored by nature. Capable of
producing abundant supplies of first quality coffee, sugar cane, cocoa
palm and cotton plant, it has its rich gold mines, its mines of
asphalt, affording paving enough for the cities of the world; while
last, but not least, are its rubber forests, which have only very
recently been considered as a valuable and available resource. It is
here American capital has entered the field of conquest."
"Do you think we had better go there, Jack?"
"That is a question you must answer yourselves. I know you will not
act hastily, and, having acted, will not regret the step taken."
"What about the climate, Jack?" asked Harrie. "I believe you have been
there?"
"Yes, I have been there," replied the other, shaking his grizzled head
slowly, "and it was likely at one stage of the scene that I should stay
there forever. But I am not answering your question. The climate of
South America, as a whole, is not very bad, though much of its
territory lies within the torrid zone. This is largely due to local
modifications. The burning heat of the plains of Arabia is unknown in
the western hemisphere. The hottest region of South America, as far as
I know, is the steppes of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela; but even
there the temperature does not reach a hundred degrees in the shade,
while it rises to one hundred and twelve degrees in the sand deserts
surrounding the Red Sea. In the basin of the Amazon, owing to the
protection of vast forests and the influence of prevailing easterly
winds, offshoots of the trade winds, which follow the great river
nearly to the Andes, the climate is not very hot or unhealthy."
"What do you say, Ronie? Is it go, or stay here until something else
comes our way?"
"I will suggest the way I would settle it. Let each one take a slip of
paper, and, without consulting the Others, write upon it his answer.
Whatever two of us shall say to be our decision, to go or to remain
here."
His companions were nothing loath to agree to this, so paper and
pencils were quickly obtained, and each one wrote his reply. Upon
comparing notes a moment later, it was found that all three had written
the short but decisive word:
"Go!"